Thursday, September 23, 2010

1/2 Year Birthday!

Well, it is absolutely, positively true. I just can't believe that Emma has been with us now for 6 months. A half year. It just can't be true.

But, alas, it is true and yesterday we took Emma in for her 6 month check-up. She is weighing in at 15lb 9oz (30th percentile) and is 25 1/2" long (45th percentile). She handled the shots pretty well, including the first part of the flu vaccine.

Milestones: She loves to roll around on the floor. One minute she is sitting up playing with a toy (and she is able to sit up very steadily) and the next she's rolled 5 feet away. Pretty impressive. She isn't making too many sounds other than squeals, laughing and grunting. Can't wait for the "ma ma" and "da da" to start. She tries to mimmick what you do when you make a sound but really hasn't figured out how to manuever her tongue very well. It's cute watching her try, though. And perhaps the start of separation anxiety is kicking in because she often starts to fuss when I leave the room. I have to sit on the toilet talking to her the whole time..."you're ok Emma, mommy will be right back..." :) She also has started raising her arms up when I come to pick her up. It is so sweet!

Toys: She still loves her exersaucer but I can see that she may already be getting bored with it. She will only stay in it for about 10 minutes before she starts to fuss. What big toy is next?

Feeding: I am still breastfeeding but have started substituting one feeding with solids. She loves sweet potatoes (I made a homemade batch!) and carrots. Not so keen on peas. We've also tried bananas and applesauce.

Sleeping: Right now she is doing well at night. Still doing one feeding around 3am, but is going from about 7pm to 7am. All that can change. It seems to vary week to week. Naps are a whole 'nother story. While she is still taking three a day, with about 2 hours of wakefulness between each nap, the length of the naps have dwindled significantly. I'm really hoping this is just a phase, but her average nap right now is between 30-45 minutes. Yuck! Makes working from home very difficult.

Sizing: We have just started size 3 diapers. And she can fit in all of her 3-6 month clothes, but I've started working in a few pieces of clothing from the next size up.

Cats: We have two cats, Lucy and Layla. For about a month now, Emma has been paying increasing attention to them. Lucy, the oldest, doesn't really want much to do with her. But Layla just can't get enough of Emma. She rubs all over her and allows Emma to do pretty much anything to her. Emma ends up pulling out fist-fulls of hair and Layla hardly reacts. Bet that will change the first time Emma gets her tail.

General: I have to say, 6 months is a lot of fun. I love each passing month more and more, which is good, because if it was the other way around, that would be bad. No doubt I've loved Emma all along but I find myself falling more in love every day as she gets more interactive and personable. Can't imagine how full of love my heart will be another 6 months from now!

4 comments:

DO you have a jumperoo? My two like that much more than our exersaucer.

How often are you feeding her? We just moved from a 3 hour schedule to a four hour schedule, and bam! right away our first and second nap are about 2 hours again (and we try to fit in a short catnap in the evening too, because they can't quite make it to bedtime). Maybe she's ready for a longer waketime too? What has happened when you've tried to lengthen it?

She gets fed when she wakes up around 3am, when she wakes up for the day around 7am, after her first nap around 10am, after 2nd nap around 1:30pm, solids after 3rd nap around 4:30 and then a top off before bed around 6:30pm. She seems pretty tired after 2 hours of being up. How long are yours up between naps? 2 hour naps, 2 hours up?

Want to know about me?

I'm a tad over 30 and started trying to conceive in January 2008. First IVF cycle in June 2009 and BFP in July 2009. Sending up lots and lots of prayers for baby Emma Grace who made her big debut on March 20, 2010. Eighteen months later we welcomed Sarah Kate, a total, but wonderful, surprise.

Married to my high school sweetheart since 2001 and living in the beautiful mountains of Virginia.

Hope to connect with others who have walked in my shoes or may even be sharing my size 8's right now! Please spend some time here and pass along any words of wisdom or support.